Although he began his career as a member of the thrash metal group Flotsam and Jetsam, Newsted's work has primarily been with the band Metallica, with whom he played bass guitar between 1986 and 2001.

[1] During Newsted's tenure with the band, they produced four studio albums—1988's ...And Justice for All, 1991's Metallica, 1996's Load and 1997's Reload—as well as several supplementary releases.

However, Newsted faced difficulty integrating with the group, and found little opportunity to add his music input;[2] having only been given writing credit for only three Metallica songs during his tenure.

[4] That band's self-titled debut was released in 2002, and featured an alternative metal style unlike Newsted's former work.

[5] That same year, Newsted appeared on albums by Papa Wheelie and southern rock band Gov't Mule,[6][7] as well as becoming a full-time member of veteran Canadian thrash group Voivod.